Device for electrically interconnecting business machines



p 29, 1959 P. BECKER 2,906,387

DEVICE FOR ELECTRICALLY INTERCONNECTING BUSINESS MACHINES Filed Dec. 17,1957 ZSheets-Sheet 1 P. BECKER Se t. 29, 1959 DEVICE FOR ELECTRIbALLYINTERCONNECTING BUSINESS MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 17, 1957United States Patent DEVICE FOR ELECTRICALLY INTERCONNECT- ING BUSINESSMACHINES Application December 17, 1957, Serial No. 703,326 Claimspriority, application FranceDec ember 19, 1956 3 Claims. (Cl. 197-'5)This invention relates ,to improvements in business and like machinesadapted to be electrically interconnected, for example a primary machineprovided with keys and printing members (commonly called type-bars?)coacting with a paper-carrying impression roller to cause, when theoperator depresses the keys, not only the printing of an originaldocument on the sheet of paper, but also through electric pulses theoperation of at least one secondary machine in which said pulses areutilized.

The primary machine may be for example a typewriter and the secondarymachine an accounting machine or a coding machine adapted to translatethe text written by the typewriter into perforations formed in cards ortapes, or a combination of these two machines.

The known devices of this type for transmitting electric pulses from atypewriter comprise essentially a number of contacts each associatedwith a key controlling a type-bar, the depression of one key causing therelevant contact to be closed. One drawback characterizing devices ofthis type is that one is never sure that a depression actually producesa pulse and vice-versa, for if a type-bar is thrown towards theimpression roller by the depression of the corresponding key before thepreceding type-bar has resumed its inoperative position two contacts areclosed simultaneously, and as a result this device will obviously slowdown considerably the velocity of operation of the machine equippedtherewith.

In view of the foregoing, it is the essential object of this inventionto avoid this double inconvenience by providing a device for controllingthe transmission of electric pulses at the very moment the type-barsprint the corresponding letter, digit or sign, without alteringwhatsoever or interfering with the normal operation of the machine.

According to this invention, at least one type-bar of the machinecomprises a heel portion co-acting with an electric contact each timesaid type bar strikes or engages the impression roller and prints acharacter on the paper carried by this roller.

Thus, simultaneously with the printing of a character by the type-baractuated by the key depressed by the operator, this type-bar closesduring a very short fraction of a second an electric circuit passingthrough this contact.

In order to perform with certainty the simultaneous striking of acharacter and closing of the electric contact, during the relativedisplacement of the type-bar towards the impression roller, in spite ofpossible misadjustments and variations in the diameter of the impressionroller which may be due to the diiferences in the thickness of the papercarried thereby, at least one of the members co-acting to form theelectric contact must have a certain resiliency.

This resiliency, for example in the case of typewriters and moreparticularly in the case of machines of the thrown striking action type,may be the inherent resiliency of the type-bar proper.

Each type-bar may be equipped with a single contact.

ice.

The electric contacts may be arranged to open or close an electriccircuit comprising two conductors leading thereto; however andpreferably these contacts are bare studs and the type-bar itself closesthe conducting circuit leading to each of these studs; to-this end, thecomplete machine may be brought to a potential differing from that ofsaid studs.

This invention is particularly simple and advantageous to carry outwhen, as in the case of typewriters, the machine is already providedwitha set of stops limiting the stroke of the type-bars towards theimpression roller.

In a typewriter, for example, each type-bar, upon completion of itsstroke subsequent to the depression of a key, is disposed in front of asubstantially semi-circular member called segment, and in addition it isusually provided with a heel adapted, when the relevant key isdepressed, to strike a ring concentrical with this segment.

In this case, it is notnecessary to provide another heel on thetype-bar, and the conventional ring is replaced by a series of electriccontacts insulated from one another and each co-acting with one type-barheel.

With the device of this invention it is evident that the striking of thetype-bar, and the transmission of a corresponding electric pulse cannottake place separately. Moreover, the striking action is exactly the sameas in any conventional typewriter or like business machine.

Thus, it is not possible to close two contacts simultaneously, as onlyone typeebar is allowed to strike the roller-carried sheet of paper, andwhen the type-bar corresponding to the depressed key engages theimpression roller it positively prevents any other type-bar fromengaging the roller.

In order to afford a clearer understanding of the present invention andof the manner in which the same may be carried out in the practice,reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings forming part ofthis specification and illustrating diagrammatically by way of example atypical embodiment of the invention. In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic section across a type-bar device of a knownor conventional typewriter equipped with the contact arrangementaccording to this invention;

Figure 2 is a front view showing the segment of a typewriter modified inaccordance with the teachings of this invention; V

Figures 3 and 4 illustrate two alternate embodiments of the device ofthis invention, which are shown in section taken along the line IIIIIIof Fig. 2.

In Fig. 1 illustrating the actuating mechanism of a type-bar of aconventional-type typewriter, the depression of the key 1 causes througha known link and rod mechanism the rotation of the type-bar 2 and thetype carried thereby. to strike the impression roller 3. The type-bar 2carries the conventional heel portion 4 providing the necessary ringbearing; according to this invention, this heel portion 4 is alsoadapted to engage a conducting stud 5 carried by the segment 6 of thetypewriter.

In the case illustrated the segment of the typewriter is made of asuitable insulating material (see Fig. 2) and carries as many conductingstuds 5 as there are typebars in the machine. These studs 5 areseparated from one another by insulating blocks 7. If the segment 6.isfabricated by molding, the blocks 7 are formed integrally therewith (seeFig. 4). A cavity 8 is formed in each stud 5 to permit the fixation ofconducting wires 9 thereon, for example by tin soldering. Theseconducting wires are assembled in the form of one or more bundlesconnected to terminal strips 10 (see Fig. 1). These terminal strips areconnected in turn to a signal amplifying and coding device according tothe specific application contemplated for these signals.

The device according to this invention operates as follows:

The conducting wires 9 are normally brought through known means (notshown) to a polarization potential other than that of the typewriter.

When the type-bar 2 prints a letter, digit or other sign, the heel 4engages the stud 5 and consequently the corresponding conducting wire 9is brought to the potential of the typewriter.

As a result, a short change in the potential of conductor 9 takes place,and the corresponding pulse is transmitted through the terminal strip 10to the amplifying and coding device (not shown). In this device theduration of the pulse thus produced may be extended, if desired, throughany known and adequate means, for example a capacitor mounted in asuitable manner, or through any other convenient means, so as to producea pulse of suificient duration and proper di rection to cause forexample the energization of a relay. The pulse thus amplified at theoutput of the device may be used to perform any desired and suitablecontrol action, for example the punching of a card or tape, thetransmission of coded signals, etc. The device according to thisinvention gives the certainty that the type impression and thetransmission of the corresponding elec tric pulse take placesimultaneously. Of course, the number of studs may be altered withoutdeparting from the purpose of this invention.

More particularly, if it is desired to interconnect a primary typewriterwith a secondary adding machine, only the type-bars corresponding todigits may be asso ciated with electric contacts.

What I claim is:

1. A business machine, for example a typewriter, comprising animpression roller, type bars adapted to print on said roller and atype-bar check and guide segment, said business machine being adapted tobe coupled with another receiving machine provided with a number ofcontrols of the electric-pulse type, the type-bar check andguide-segment of said business machine comprising a same number ofcontacts insulated from one another, each of said contacts being engagedby a type bar when the latter strikes the roller, said business machinecomprising in addition a same number of conductors maintained at avoltage differing from that of the business machine and adapted toconnect the contacts of said business machine to the pulse-type controlsof said receiving machine respectively.

2. A business machine, for example a typewriter, comprising animpression roller, type bars adapted to print on said roller and atype-bar check and guide segment, said business machine being adapted tobe coupled with another receiving machine provided with a number ofcontrois of the electric-pulse type, the type-bar check and guidesegment of said business machine comprising an element of insulating andresilient material and a same number of contact studs embedded in saidelement, each contact stud being engaged by a corresponding type barwhen said' type bar strikes said roller, said business machinecomprisingin addition a same number of conductors maintained at avoltage differing from that of the business machine and adapted toconnect the contact studs of said business machine with the pulse-typecontrols of said receiving machine respectively.

3. A business machine, for example a typewriter, comprising animpression roller, type bars adapted to print on said roller and atype-bar check and guide segment, said business machine being adapted tobe coupled with a receiving machine provided with a number of controlsof the electric-pulse type, the type-bar check and guide segment of saidbusiness machine comprising a same number of contact studs insulatedfrom one another, each of said contact studs having a hole formedtherethrough and being engageable by a corresponding type bar when thelatter strikes said roller, said business machine comprising in additiona same number of conductors maintained at a voltage difiering from thatof said business machine, each of said conductors being fitted throughthe hole of one of said contact studs and connecting said contact studto one of said electric-pulse controls of said receiving machinerespectively.

Ferguson Aug. 8, 1911 Rocca Oct. 5, 1954

